User:Katie Huff/Smaug Protein.
From Proteopedia
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Smaug Protein
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Smaug protein is involved with RNA-binding and translation inhibition. Specifically, Smaug is involved in anterior-posterior segmentation of the embryo during Drosophila melanogaster embryonic development. Smaug also plays a role in the midblastula transition of D. melanogaster development. 1
Function
Most eukaryotes rely on maternal mRNA in early development because they synthesize the proteins that control the primary events of embryogenesis (cell fate decisions, axis determination, etc.). Because maternal mRNAs are already present at the time of fertilization, their subsequent expression must be restricted post-transcriptionally [1]. Smaug protein functions to regulate the posterior pole of the embryo by inhibiting translation of maternal nanos mRNA. Smaug effectively performs this task by binding to the 3'UTR region of the nanos mRNA. This prevents nanos from passively diffusing to the posterior cortex of the embryo and undergoing translation. Smaug protein's mechanism of action involves the recruitment of another protein called CUP up binding to the 3'UTR region of nanos mRNA. Together, they prevent the association with a ribosome that would trigger translation. The nanos-Smaug-CUP complex can be undone, however, if the complex reaches the posterior cortex. In this case, the complex will be disassembled, which allows the mRNA to prepare it's message for translation 1 .
Disease
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About this Structure
1oxj is a 1 chain structure with sequence from D. melanogaster. Full crystallographic information is available from OCA.
Structure Reference
- Green JB, Gardner CD, Wharton RP, Aggarwal AK. RNA recognition via the SAM domain of Smaug. Mol Cell. 2003 Jun;11(6):1537-48. PMID:12820967
Text References
1 Gilbert, Scott F. Developmental Biology. 9th ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 2006. p. 206;222.
